Insights Categories

Q: I run a small engineering business. We have just had a big job put back and I am going to find it difficult to keep all the staff on until it comes back on line. However, if I could reduce the hours of a couple of them from full-time to part-time it may be possible. How should I go about doing this and how much notice do I need to give them?

Q: My widowed father had grown very frail and forgetful and Social Services organised the paperwork for him to go into a care home. I have now been asked if I want to be his ‘Relevant Person’s Representative’. I have put off answering because I don’t know what that means. Can you tell me?

Q: I have five rental properties which I manage myself as I am retired and don’t want to incur letting agency fees. Two of the properties are holiday lets and three have long term tenants. Until now I have not had any concerns about dealing direct with tenants myself, but I have heard a couple of worrying things recently that are making me reconsider. The first was that landlords can now be held responsible for noisy tenants and the second was that landlords are now being held responsible for doing immigration checks if the tenant is not a UK national. Are these things true?

Wrexham solicitor Emma Jacobs, who works in the private client department at leading law firm GHP Legal, has issued a statement thanking the firm’s clients for helping to raise £2205 for charity during the Will Aid 2014 campaign.

Q: I came off my bike last year, when the front wheel went down a pothole in the road. I suffered a broken arm which prevented me from working for several weeks in the small bike repair business I own. That was bad enough, but I also suffered a head injury which affected my memory and caused me to have panic attacks. I got depressed and couldn’t cope and eventually I had to close the business down.